Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a gaming apparatus for professional use in monitoring and evaluating games of chance such as "Black Jack" and related games using playing cards and gaming chips (jettons).
The following description of the field of invention mainly relates to the game of "Black Jack" which will be used by the way of an example.
Conventionally gaming equipment for "Black Jack" basically consists of a gaming table and a card dispenser in the form of a card slide, which is also referred to as card shoe, because of its shape.
"Black Jack" is played with 1 to 8 decks each consisting of 52 cards, whereby the player plays against the bank (house) and the house is represented by the croupier, also called dealer at the game of "Black Jack".
Every deck of cards consists of four suits of cards, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades. Each suit has nine numbered cards and four pictured cards, with the picture of Jack, Queen, King and Ace. The number cards are designated by their numbers 2 through 10 and the picture cards are designated by their initials: J (Jack), Q (Queen), K (King) and A (Ace). The name of each card is a combination of its value and its suit (e.g. Queen of Diamonds). In the game of "Black Jack" the value of points of the ace may be selected by choice to be either 1 or 11, the value of points of the picture cards (Jack, Queen, King) is 10 and the gaming value of all other cards equal to their faced value; the colors or suits have no meaning to the game.
Prior to the start of the first game the cards are carefully shuffled by the dealer, preferably by using a card shuffling device, and then placed into the card shoe in such way, that the neutral backside of the cards shows forward, that is into direction of the card delivery opening of the card shoe.
The "Black Jack" table is covered by a piece of cloth (gaming layout) which is essentially divided into rectangular or round betting fields (boxes, hands) arranged like half a circle and designated for placement of the bets in form of gaming chips. At the left side of each box there is an insurance field (line). One part of the gaming table is designated for placement of the cards for the players and the dealer.
The basic features of the game of "Black Jack" are as follows:
As many players (or groups of players) as the gaming area has boxes, may take action (generally seven).
Target of the players is to achieve a higher score than the bank. The highest score which must not be exceeded neither by the players nor by the bank, is 21. The player or the bank has "Black Jack" and wins, if they have reached a score of 21 with the received first two cards. Otherwise the party being closer to the score of 21 has won. In case of same score for both parties the player does not win nor loose, and he can withdraw his bet or play it again or raise or reduce it for the next game.
According to internationally determined rules of gaming performance, placing bets and distribution of cards are done as follows. First each player makes his bet; if more then one chip is placed, the chips are stacked with the highest denomination at the bottom of the stack and the lowest denomination at the top. Then the dealer distributes the cards from the left to the right so that first each player and then the dealer receives the first card face up. After that each player receives the second card also face up and then the dealer his second card but face down. If the player has not gotten "Black Jack" he may ask the dealer for more cards face up.
When all the players' cards have been dealt the dealer turns his face down second card to face up. If the dealer's score is 17 or higher he must not take another card; if his score is less than 17, he has to take further cards until his score has reached or passed 17.
In addition, under certain circumstances and conditions there may apply gaming variations, such as "Backing the Box", "Double down", "Split" and "Insurance".
At "Backing the Box" several players (community of players) place their bets in one and the same box.
At "Double down" the player may double his initial bet during the game, whereby he has to place the double bet next to the initial bet in his box.
At "Split" player splits the initial two cards and continues his game playing on two hands with two rows of cards, that requests to double the initial bet.
At "Insurance" player insures his bet against "Black Jack" of the bank, whereby he has to bet half of the value of the initial bet on the insurance line.
Player wins at "Black Jack" 3 units for 2, otherwise he wins 1 for 1, and at "Insurance" and "Black Jack" of the bank all insurance bets get 2 units for 1; if the bank fails to have "Black Jack" after an insurance bet, player looses his insurance bet, but plays a regular game using his initial bet.
The cards of the players are placed in a staggered way, so that all card values stay visible. The dealer's cards are placed side to side without overlapping each other.
The gaming chips (jettons) are disk like pieces of plastic. Their value is printed (e.g. 10, 20, 50, 100, 500) and they are marked by different colors (e.g. blue, red, green, orange, violet) according to their respective value.
The invention is designed to solve the following problems:
In casino business there is a leak of technical control at the so called table games (live games); this concerns in particular the card game "Black Jack" which may be played in various ways. Even by high substantial staff complement in form of additional monitoring staff and despite the use of optical surveillance systems, there are considerable security loopholes which may result in a reduced gaming revenue for the casino or the casino operator. On the other side there is a lot of responsibility with the dealers, who need a high level of concentration to maintain a strictly regulated game same as correct payments of wins to players. He has to account against the bank at the end of each duty and during all these duties errors may arise.
Therefore it is necessary to find a solution, which will allow a reliable surveillance during the whole gaming performance without human manpower. It should recognize appearing errors and mistakes same as incorrect decisions by the dealer and ease to correct them. In the event of disagreement between player and dealer or between the dealer and casino operator, it should be possible to revise any game in a reliable manner; a solution which avoids incorrect ways to influence the game in particular in favor of certain players at the calculation of wins or at the payment of wins; a solution which creates an easier job for the dealer; a solution which, apart of other advantages, simplifies the process of accounting between the dealer and the casino management in a correct and comfortable manner. Beside that it is a target to deliver firm information about the dealers performance and the individual gaming characteristics of the player.